Shutterfly Rocks!

Hi, all....

Well, I am long overdue for a post. Life has become a little hectic, and blog-writing seems to have fallen by the wayside. However, I have big plans to change this....look for an updated site and fresh material sometime after the holidays!

But for now, I want to tell you all about this amazing promotion I heard about from another blogger. Are you familiar with the AMAZING website, Shutterfly.com? Do you have a public blog? Do you like free things? If you answered YES to all three, this promotion is for you! Now through December 31, all bloggers who participate by doing a write-up about Shutterfly.com can earn 50 FREE holiday cards. Who doesn't like free things? And if you are like me, the fact that it is from Shutterfly is a double-bonus. To date, we have a huge album store on the site, from which we periodically print photos. In addition, I have made 4 photo books (which are an awesome way to commemorate a special occasion or milestone), 2 mugs (one for Jeff and one for me, each featuring Liam) and a 2010 calendar (I have big plans to order another for 2011). The website features amazing pricing compared to other sites, and the deals abound this time of the year. Not to mention, the site is extremely user-friendly. So, what do you have to lose? Check them out at http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/, or on the main site (shutterfly.com). You'll become a Shutterfly-fan just like me, I promise. : )

-Farrah

One

My boy turned 1 today. There is so much that I want to say, and it will come in the form of the next couple of posts. But for now, I will take a moment to watch my sleeping child, stroke his hair and kiss his cheek....and remember how this first year of his life changed my ENTIRE life for the better.

Mama loves you, my sweet monkey. Happy Birthday.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

Won't You Swing Along With Me?

Persnickety First Snippety

This past Saturday, at 11 months + 1 week old, Mr. Liam had his first haircut. We thought it would be a disaster, as he is generally wary of strangers.....so a stranger holding scissors and buzzing clippers to his fuzzy little head surely would lead him to a meltdown.

That kiddo always manages to surprise us.

Doesn't he look dashing? : )

Then, Liam's stylist asked if she could give him a little baby mohawk, since we had asked her to leave his hair a little longer on the top (ok, that was MY request...I wasn't ready to totally give up his long flowing locks!). Apparently, Liam was just barely containing himself until this point, because here is what happened next:

Doesn't that sad little face just break your heart?

Luckily, however, Liam survived. : )

When did my baby become a boy? *sigh*

Hello...? Is It Me You're Looking For?

I know I don't need to state the obvious, but yes, I have managed to slack off on my blogging duties for the entire month of March. I had the best intentions, but every time I thought about posting an entry I would realize that I still needed to upload the accompanying photos. And then I would get caught up in something else, forgetting to upload said photos. And then I would get mad at myself for forgetting. Repeat, repeat, repeat.....and now it is April 1.

I promise to post photos soon (for real), but for now here is a brief update:

Liam is now a very precocious 10 1/2 month old. His personality is developing at a lightning pace, and I find myself ruminating on how absolutely ADORABLE he is at least ten times a day.

Me: Did you see how he grips onto the front bar of the stroller, like a big boy? He is SO cute!
Jeff: (chuckles) Yes, hon.....he is cute. Just like he was cute when he sneezed an hour ago, and when he crawled into the kitchen holding a funnel a half hour before that.
Me: Whatever.

(Obviously, Liam gets his adorable nature from his Mama.)

Every day, it seems, Liam has picked up a new skill. He now knows how to:

* wave bye-bye (when he feels like it)
* play "So Big!" (he raises his arms as though he is Moses, parting the Red Sea)
* crawl like a wild man
* walk along furniture (though he is getting more brave about not holding on as tight)
* strut along while pushing his little walker (we still think he is on the brink of walking on his own)
* says "Mama" (on occasion), "Dada" (pretty frequently), "Baba" (for bottle), and as of yesterday, "Bop" (which we are pretty sure was in response to us making fun of his little 'burp')

A few of Liam's favorite things:

* Books, books, books (he LOVES being read to, especially Brown Bear, Brown Bear and his Sandra Boynton books)
* chewing up said books (we've already had to replace two)
* destroying any towers or structures that Mama and Daddy have built for him
* trying to sneak into the bathrooms when he thinks we aren't watching (what is SO interesting in there??)
* Being sung to (his current faves: Busy Little Bee, My Liam Lies Over the Ocean, Stinky Toes, The Nigh-Night Song and The Bathtime Song. All of these are nonsensical songs made up by Mama, which doesn't bode well for his future taste in music.)
* Going for stroller rides or spending ANY time outside
* Pulling Mama's cookbooks off the shelf
* Crawling the loop around the kitchen, dining room and living room, all while making little motor noises

He is turning into such a funny, happy little boy.

Man, are we lucky. : )

Nine Months

The title of this post brings to mind the movie of the same name, starring Julianne Moore and Hugh Grant, who comically tackle the adventures and challenges of pregnancy and new parenthood. And while I'd be lying if I denied that I was daydreaming of going through that all over again (*SIGH*), right now my focus is on my adorable, incorrigible little nine month old, who officially reached that age milestone today.

Seriously. SO. CUTE.

Liam had his nine month appointment on Tuesday, and here are the stats:

Weight: 21 lbs. 2 oz. (60th percentile)

Height/Length: 29" (75th percentile)

So it appears that his weight is sloooowwwly catching up with his length, which we sort of suspected. At any rate, we have about 1 inch to spare before our little monkey can no longer fit into his infant carseat......so a-shopping we must go for a convertible version. I am SO not ready for that!

Doctor Rhodes-Dekko also said that Liam is doing so well, eating perfectly for his age, and that he is also very advanced in his gross motor skills. "I hope you two are prepared for an early walker," she said with a grin.

Um, what??!!??

Ok, so we suspected as much, but wow......it's hard to imagine that Liam will be toddling around the house in the not-too-distant future. Luckily, he's already kept us pretty busy with his hopalong style of crawling, which has definitely picked up speed over the last couple of weeks. : )

We have a NINE MONTH OLD.....a SOON-TO-BE-WALKING nine month old.

Oi.

But man, if he isn't the greatest thing ever.